Beneath the Pale Moonlight
by Roguie
Summary: When things go back to normal, they go back to normal, only now it's not enough for anyone involved. Post One Giant Leap.


Title: Beneath the Pale Moonlight

Author: Roguie/ SunSpecOps/ Danae Bowen

Fandom: Eureka

Characters: Zane/ Jo

Rating: T

Spoilers: Up to One Giant Leap

Summary: When things go back to normal, they go back to normal, only now it's not enough for anyone involved.

Disclaimer: I obviously don't own Eureka, I just like to borrow the characters and mutate their inner voices. Please don't sue, my house is small, my car is useless and my dogs are pains in the arse, but they're all I have.

A/N: This fiction is written in direct relation to having Buble's Save the Last Dance video playing at work every ten minutes on thirty televisions through an eleven hour shift that I worked alone. For whatever the reason may be, I needed Jo to dance tonight, so dance she will. And yeah, it's really late; as such, I may not have edited this to my normal extent… just saying.

A/N2: Reviews inspire my muse; I find Jo and Zane like a drug to her, but if they're the drug, reviews are the devil's whisper putting that needle in her arm. Please don't leave me hanging, and I promise in return that I won't leave you hanging.

**~~~E~~~**

Zane Donovan stood in stunned silence, a miracle the likes of parting the red seas as far as his friends were concerned. No one in the little group wanted to consider in which body part the blood that immediately left his brain had settled. It was enough that his gob smacked expression of awe confirmed every suspicion they had that Zane was as completely taken with Global Dynamics' Chief of Security as he'd been in the previous timeline, and even though he'd seen her naked (a thought Carter rapidly chased away for the sake of his own sanity) seeing Jo Lupo like this was enough to reinforce everyone's believe that there wasn't a time that they didn't belong together.

Zane, for his part, struggled to end his rather spectacular impression of a goldfish and managed enough brain power to wrap his fingers around the back of the chair in front of him while Carter, Henry, Allison and Grace gathered behind him.

Since returning from the Astraeus mission, things had been tense in Eureka. First there was the inquest into the hijacking of the FTL ship, all eyes descending on Jo who'd taken a leave of absence only hours before the shit hit the fan. It didn't help when it was soon discovered that her cell phone had been turned off, her GPS locater ditched at SARAH, and her belongings packed and put in storage as Carter made room for Kevin and Jenna. Mansfield's meltdown, however came when he had the security feed to Global Dynamics reviewed, glaring attention paid to Lupo's time spent not working scenes of absolute disasters, which resulted in him viewing long and repeated scenes of nudity with the towns most notorious criminal. Zane had come to her defence, insisting that the instances in her office, in her cell, on her desk, on the floor, that those all happened after he'd been pardoned, so while their decision making process was definitely questionable, Lupo had breached no security protocols when she left him in her office unattended to finish dressing while she was called away. It seemed his reassurances did nothing to calm the irate General, and things only got worse from there.

It was definitely a memorable few weeks spent with the Department of Defence crawling through every aspect of their lives. When Jo had finally checked in, she was immediately chewed apart and flown back to Global, all eyes on her, all parties defending her innocence. Zane figured at one point that they may end up sharing a cell the way Mansfield was carrying on, something that brought a wicked sparkle to his expressive blue eyes and a tinge of disappointment when they were all cleared to return to duty.

Of course, that didn't help with the whole Jo and Zane situation. Since her return, Jo had stayed quiet about everything where Zane was concerned. She picked up where she left off at work, moved into her newly constructed TARDIS house without incident, went to Café Diem at seven in the morning and five at night as if nothing had ever changed. He stood on the side lines, watching as she bounced Jenna in her arms, beat Kevin at basketball, and made Carter seem entirely incompetent on the shooting range. He stayed quiet as she joked with Henry and Grace, kept Fargo from unintentionally destroying his relationship with Holly, and helped Allison and SARAH redecorate and settle in. Only occasionally would her shoulder bump his, her brown eyes hooded and pensive as she cocked her head to the side, studying him silently.

For the first time in his life, Zane didn't push. He didn't ask where she'd gone, what she'd done, if she knew now what she didn't know when she left. He tried not to antagonize her, keeping his head down, staying focussed on the tasks assigned to him, startling the town as he quickly became a valuable member of their small community. He forced himself not to fall to his knees and beg for her attention and she slowly began to move on. Zane's heart ached with the undisguised sense of déjà vu in which he lived, watching Lupo grow further away, she was distancing herself from him and this time he knew there was nothing he could do to stop her.

The remaining four whose secret he kept hadn't given up on them, however. Zane continued to be invited to the Carter/Blake bunker, SARAH often insinuating that she, as well as her humans, missed his presence in their lives. He worked side by side with Henry more days than not, became Allison and Fargo's go to guy, and took great pleasure in helping Carter with the disaster of the week, including the release of a chemical that morning that striped ninety percent of the town of their inhibitions. Nothing was funnier than a town full of what appeared to be drunken scientists. Except drunk Jo. Drunk Jo stalled his thoughts and relit the dull ache in his chest that he'd thought he was putting behind him. Drunk Jo was amorous and physical, putting him in a position that begged his body to take advantage, leaving him in a position where he had to fight his own desires. Zane had locked her in her cell for safe keeping, using will power he didn't know he had to untangle himself from her arms as he laid her on the tiny cot and struggled to ensure his lips stayed as far from hers as possible. When he, Carter and Henry were able to reverse the effect, he'd asked Carter to free what he was sure would be an embarrassed and therefore dangerous Lupo from containment. He headed home without seeing her, taking comfort in the simple text of thanks she'd sent an hour later.

So when Carter called to see if Zane wanted to join the Sheriff and Henry for a couple of beers, Zane found himself readily agreeing. They'd been the only people in their group immune to the effects of the section three chemical, so somehow it only seemed fair that they relax the old fashioned way.

He was surprised when they left Eureka, making their way up the highway to a roadhouse a few miles out, one that Zane hadn't even realized existed. He was even more surprised when Allison greeted them at the door, Grace following close behind.

"This is one of your good ideas," he heard Allison murmur softly to Carter and when the women stepped aside, that was when he saw her.

The women were dressed nicely, Zane had to admit. Allison hadn't gone overboard, letting her natural beauty shine in a pair of jeans and a white sweater that clung to her in places that short circuited Carter's brain. Grace wore a flowing green dress that moved and spun with her, bringing out a shine in her eyes that Zane could tell made Henry's mouth go dry. It was Jo Lupo, however, in the center of the dance floor in what should have been a little black dress but instead was a little white dress, that stole away Zane's grip on higher reasoning.

He'd never seen her wear anything like it before, her curves hugged near explicitly by the clinging fabric. Her legs didn't seem to end, his vision dragged up from the white leather heels by white leather straps that criss crossed up her calves, ending just below her knees. The entire ensemble was set off by her dark hair flowing down her back in curls that some women would kill for, and a black silk scarf that lay around her neck, breaking the white as it settled between her breasts, the tip resting just above her waist.

When her dark gaze collided with his blue eyes, he could tell she was as startled by his presence as he was hers. When her eyes, filled with something he didn't recognize, raked down his body, Zane suddenly felt under dressed in the acid wash blue jeans he'd grabbed off his bedroom floor and the black turtle neck that deftly clung to his chest and arms. He ran his fingers through his hair self consciously, the ends spiking up in all directions as he stretched his other hand out in greeting, wondering if she'd be upset that he was there.

When she moved it was all fluid motion, hips and hands, a carefree smile tossed at the disappointed males that she left on the dance floor as she closed the distance between them. Zane's over stimulated body instantly reacted to her presence, forcing him to swallow thickly as he struggled to bring everything back under control. Somewhere in the back of his mind he registered the teasing voices of Carter and Henry, recognized that their current conversation probably had a lot to do with the look of pure awe that currently resided on Zanes face. Oddly enough, he found he really didn't care.

"Ten bucks says he drools, and I mean full on Beethoven the St. Bernard drool."

Henry chuckled. "Too easy. Twenty says no coherent sentences for five entire minutes."

"You two are awful." Allison interrupted calmly, her own eyes sparkling as Jo crossed over to them.

"And you… you're a miracle worker. How did you pull that off?" Carter watched Jo with a lifted eyebrow.

Allison grinned and shrugged softly. "It was strange, actually; she didn't protest in the slightest. Thank God Zoe left behind half her wardrobe. Jo really had nothing to work with."

"Huh."

"It's possible she knew what we were up to." Grace interjected helpfully.

"Oh, yeah, and it's possible she's still affected by today's fiasco and she kills us all when she wakes up tomorrow."

"Jack."

"Yeah?"

"I cleared her myself. Anything she does tonight is her own decision, not the drug."

Grace offered the trio a huge grin as Zane finally managed to pick his jaw up off the ground and awe started to turn to confusion. "Fifty bucks says he's about to ask the same thing."

Zane backed away from the approaching Jo, turning to face the group, blue eyes concerned. "What the hell?"

The group burst into laughter and Jack slapped Zane on the back, cutting off any further questions. "It's all her, buddy. Just try not to screw it up this time."

With that the other two couples made their ways to the bar and to the dance floor, leaving Zane to fend for himself. Jo's arm slid into his, fingers sliding down solid muscle to entwine with his gently. "Hey."

He swallowed thickly, his heart beating heavily in his chest as he turned to meet her smiling caramel eyes. "S'up, JoJo?"

She shrugged, lifting one delicate eyebrow. "Quite the day."

He nodded uncertainly, fighting the pull that threatened to follow the line of her black silk scarf to the low cut of that little white dress. When he lost the battle and his eyes dipped down, he instantly dragged them back up, smothering the groan of bone deep temptation threatening to pull him apart, silently praying she hadn't noticed his slip.

Nothing ever got past the Enforcer, however, and he knew when her eyebrow lifted higher and the shine in her eyes turned to a wicked sparkle that she'd noticed.

"I haven't had a chance to thank you for locking me up today," she smiled at him, moving just a bit closer until his arm was pressed against her warm body, soft curves meeting hard muscle, threatening to melt away what was left of his rational thought.

He swallowed quickly and shrugged, a half grin curving his lips. "Eh, nothing you haven't done for me a few dozen times."

He tried not to think about how close she was standing to him or how fast his body was reacting to her as they made their way though the crowds towards the bar. He didn't fail to notice the attention of the men in the bar turning to watch Jo as she moved, all lithe muscle under flawless skin. His eyes darkened to cobalt and he couldn't help himself, even knowing that Jo could lay out any man in that room without effort, he moved behind her, forcing her to pull his arm across her body if she wanted to continue holding his hand.

He was surprised when she leaned back into him, reminding him exactly how tiny she was next to him. She encouraged his second arm around her until her hands disappeared under his, held securely at her stomach, his claim on her apparent to all that could see.

"Why the sudden change of heart, JoJo?" he growled quietly in her ear, the whisper of his words making her tremble in his arms, curving his lips into a wicked grin.

"I had to be sure." Her voice was so quiet that for a moment he wasn't entirely sure she'd actually spoken.

His next words mimicked one of the last conversations they'd had before all hell broke loose and the months apart had intervened. "About how you feel for me?"

His body was built of muscle and determination, strength at its best, infallible in how he sculpted himself, the unbreakable image he displayed to the world. Jo knew him better than the image he projected. Before the timeline change, he was cocky, quick witted and quick to make himself invaluable - a learned response to a hard life. Somewhere he'd rationalized with himself that if they need him, they'd be less likely to leave him. Since the timeline change, he'd been sullen and unsure, always waiting for the other shoe to drop, no reason to believe he won't be tossed to the side when they're done with him - the same learned response, the same hard life, just with nothing positive to prove to him that sometimes it's worth the effort.

Then again, sometimes the real Zane was buried so far below the bullshit that even Jo had trouble spotting the truth for all his carefully constructed walls.

"No," she murmured, resting her head back against his chest, watching Grace and Henry on the dance floor, moving for each other, not caring who could see. "I had to be sure how you felt about me."

It was always funny how a simple truth could bring down the most structurally sound defence mechanism. She felt him tense, his hands tightening around hers almost painfully as he fought his first instinct to run. She knew she was right the moment he relaxed, his chin resting on her head, his fingers releasing their pressure on hers, his heart beating so painfully fast that she could hear it next to her ear and it made her smile with a softness few people had ever seen.

"So. You found your answer then?" His words were clipped and she could hear the hesitation in his voice even while he continued to slowly stroke her warm fingers, not daring to let her go.

The truth was that she'd had her answer the moment he'd put her in that jail cell cot, locked the door and walked away. Although she'd been disappointed when Carter came to free her from the cell, that Zane had sent him to spare her any further embarrassment only solidified her suspicions. By the time she'd gotten home to her non blown up, non burned down little house, she'd thought over every action he'd taken since her return to Eureka, and she'd realized that short of sky writing 'I love Josephina Lupo' over the town, Zane had been doing everything possible to tell her just that, in his own special Zane Donovan kind of way.

When she looked at Zane now, images of who he was before no longer overlaid what she was seeing. She'd put to rest her memories of her life with him, at the same time as holding close the good thoughts, the ones that made her smile, that made her tuck her head just a little tighter under his chin, knowing that while he didn't remember certain things that she did, he would've experienced each moment if he'd been given the chance.

Still, she couldn't quite say the words that she could hear him screaming with every beat of his heart. "Yeah."

"That's pretty amazing, actually. You see, I don't remember telling you."

She grinned, her eyes dancing in the shadows where he couldn't see. "You will."

"And do you believe that enough that when we get back to Eureka we're scrapping the sneaking around? 'Cause while I can't complain about the sex, I'm not sure the cleaner in section four can take another surprise without quitting."

Images of the last time they'd been caught in section four's abandoned micro cell lab flashed unbidden through Jo's mind and she began to giggle quietly. "Better there than a coat closet, believe me."

"We'll test that theory someday," his voice grew warmer, more sure of himself as she laughed and relaxed against him. "But that doesn't answer my question, does it, Lupo? Eureka?"

She sighed softly, "No more sneaking around. But," she turned in his arms, poking a finger into his chest, making him cringe slightly. "That doesn't mean that we can scandalize everyone in Café Diem."

He chuckled, "As if we could ever scandalize Vincent."

"Hmm. Still, no trying to, either."

He touched his forehead to hers, holding her hand to his chest, over his heart. "Any other rules to dating Jo Lupo that I should know about?"

When she met his gaze, her brown eyes blazed with a raw honesty that Zane had never witnessed. His breath froze in his throat and his heart stalled in his chest as he waited for her to find the words she needed to say.

"Don't… don't break my heart?"

"Was that a request or a rule?"

She shrugged quietly, her eyes suddenly darting away from his even while his free hand came up to touch her jaw, redirecting her attention to him.

"I'll follow the rules, JoJo," he offered her a cheeky smile, breaking the tension in her frame. "Or you can taze me and drag me away in handcuffs."

Carter chose that moment to appear behind them, catching only the last few words spoken. "Oh, come on! Seriously?"

Jo flashed Carter her cockiest grin, belying the flush of red in her cheeks as she pulled Zane with her towards the dance floor. "Do you really want me to answer that, Carter?"

"Oh, hell, no! You two are… never mind, it doesn't matter, you're just better together." He paused. "Just stay out of my closets, would you?"

Zane frowned in confusion, glancing back between Carter and Jo as he stumbled further into the crowd. "What's with the closet thing tonight?"

She wrapped her arms around him, her warm body pulling flush up against his as they swayed quietly to the beat around them. "I'll show you the next time we're at SARAH."

"I can't even begin to explain why I'm looking forward to that."

"One hint." She leaned up on her toes and pressed her lips to his, closing her eyes as the world around them faded and only Zane remained. It was funny, really, the way she felt when their lips met so softly in the night. They'd spent two years kissing and laughing, fighting and making up, saying goodbye just to look forward to the hellos. Even in this time line they'd had their share of kisses, touches, moments that looking back on they should have realized they'd never find anything better than each other, but that's what happens when something's just meant to be. After all those kisses, after all those moments, the air was still pulled from the room around them, their hearts still pounded heavily in their chests, electricity still passed between them and Jo's knees still failed as she clung to him for support. She felt more than heard the groan that built in his throat, swallowing the small noise with her greedy lips, her nails digging into hard muscle while his fingers wound tightly into her hair.

Henry clearing his voice nearby forced them apart, panting breaths forcing their chests to rise and fall without rhythm, skin flushed with passion and embarrassment. When nothing further was said, Jo rested her head on Zane's chest, wrapping her arms around his waist, settling against him as they moved quietly to the music, ignoring the other couples around them. The hour grew late before they realized it, Carter and Allison left, taking the jeep home so the kids weren't left on their own too late. Grace and Henry had just said their goodbyes, intending to take Grace's car back to the garage and enjoy the remainder of their weekend in private.

Still, Zane and Jo danced. They moved together in a gentle, fluid motion, two parts of a whole, one an extension of the other. When no one remained but them on the floor, when the lights dimmed and the chairs were put on tables, only then did they leave the small dance floor and move out to the parking lot where Jo's Subaru sat waiting. Zane immediately took the wheel, letting Jo relax, the exhaustion of the day weighing on her as her eyes drifted closed with the gentle rock of the car in motion.

It spoke volumes to her exhaustion, to her relief, and to her absolute trust in Zane that the her next conscious thought occurred in Zane's bed somewhere around dawn. She stretched out with a yawn, realizing a moment before Zane's dancing blue eyes filled her gaze that she was wearing nothing more than one of his shirts, hastily buttoned, covering very little. When his lips closed over hers, however, and his body covered her own, her every cell instantly came to life in response, her heart lost all rhythm and suddenly it didn't occur to her to mind.

**~~~Fin**


End file.
